The bathrooms at Townsend Harris have seen better days. According to Junior Zofeya Dookie the fourth floor girls bathroom in particular has numerous issues. It is “always wet and has some sort of leaking that makes it slippery, which is a big safety hazard,” Zofeya told The Classic. Overflowing toilets, in addition to being unsafe, prevent the use of certain stalls on the fourth floor, which, Zofeya said, creates more problems: “there’s often a line to wait in just to get a stall, which is inconvenient if you go there during passing periods, and it can make you late to class.”
Zofeya is not the only student who shares this perspective. According to interviews with multiple students, and visits to bathrooms from Classic writers and editors to confirm student reports, nearly every bathroom at Townsend Harris High School has recently had visible issues — with overflowing in the bathroom stalls, paper towels clumped up in the sinks, and overcrowding in bathrooms. Student complaints illustrate two contributors to the problem: supply problems that prevent timely repairs and other students’ disruptive behavior. The two often go hand-in-hand, clearly visible when students see bathroom supply trash scattering the floors and clogging the plumbing. The custodians who clean and supply the bathrooms deal with the daily aftermath.
In terms of behavioral problems, students have complained of a lack of space in bathrooms that is caused by groups of several students hanging out – either during lunch bands or seemingly to avoid classes – in one or two stalls. Senior Ashley Astimbay said that in the first floor girls bathroom, “there’s always a group of girls just hanging there. It’s uncomfortable.” These students who use the bathroom as a hang out space limit walking and standing space both near the sinks and the hallway leading outside the bathroom.
A scarcity of soap and paper towels also prevents students from moving in and out of the bathrooms efficiently. Junior Joshua Chung said that the fifth floor boys bathroom runs out of amenities every day, usually “by fifth band.” Some students said they then spend time searching for these items in other bathrooms.
Custodian Priscilla Miano said, “We used to have supply issues and it [took] about six weeks for the supplies to get to THHS on time.” The team would also “ask other schools for parts or supplies to fix some of the issues of broken pipes, clogged bathrooms, etc.” When stalls and even entire bathrooms are out of order for a long period of time, it is likely due to the scarcity of supplies needed to rectify poor plumbing.
Principal Brian Condon said that if we “need 50 faucet handles, we need to go through a system to order them.” THHS needs to order supplies through the Department of Education, which may take up to weeks to ship materials. There are too many bathrooms to restock, and not enough supplies or time to restock them.
“We get calls all day, constantly, all day,” about the issues within THHS, Priscilla said. “The Department of Education has high standards for plumbing.”
With students directly contributing to the environment, custodian Mario Vasquez said the issue comes down to discipline. “There’s [not enough] discipline in the school,” he said. “The kids don’t get discipline for wrongdoing.”
According to interviews with custodial workers, crowds of students using bathrooms as a hangout spot create many of the problems as trash that they accumulate during their extended visits to the bathroom gets left on the ceilings, in the plumbing, and on the floor. Custodian Hector Benetez said, “Once in a while a dean or some supervision should walk into the bathroom to make sure the kids don’t make a mess.”
According to Dean Charlene Levi signs were put up to inform students on how to behave within the bathrooms. However, she said the problems continue to persist as students “who use the bathroom for non-bathroom uses just go to other bathrooms in the school building to repeat the same actions.”
Faculty and students agree that implementing solutions to problems such as a lack of surveillance, discipline, and supplies, is a group effort.
Junior Emily Carson said that while the administrators “aren’t the ones clogging the toilets,” they have a responsibility for keeping the building facilities up to date. She believes that students should also be mindful of throwing their trash in the bins rather than the sinks. “Everyone plays a role in the upkeep,” she said
Principal Condon proposed a solution between the administration and maintenance. He said, “What I can do is speak with the custodians and ask ‘how frequently are we stopping by [the bathrooms]’ when we notice that things are overflowing.” Posting “times last cleaned” on the bathroom walls, he believes, would maintain bathroom cleanliness and prove accountability on the side of maintenance and administration.
However, if students themselves want to take action and responsibility for the state of bathrooms, Principal Condon asks, “Why don’t you bring this to student government?” While custodians pull their weight, students may need to advocate for themselves in order for cleanliness and safety to remain the norm.
